The project supports the financing of small-scale investments carried out by SMEs and Midcaps in Italy. Up to 25% of the facility will be dedicated to SMEs making small-scale investments contributing towards R&D and to innovative SMEs also in the framework of the New Sabatini law and Transizione 4.0 National Plan launched by the Italian government to foster the competitiveness of Italian SMEs. The uncertainties in the global economy due to the pandemic, the war in Ukraine, inflation, the energy crisis, and rising interest rates have exacerbated the difficulties that SMEs and Mid-caps and especially innovative companies experienced in accessing cost-effective, long-term finance, a well-known market failure. By generating additional lending capacity, the proposed operation supports investments in capacity expansion, productive assets and innovation undertaken by SMEs and Mid-Caps in Italy. Hence, the project improves SMEs' and Mid-caps' access to finance and access to innovation finance. These features together contribute to maintaining existing jobs, creating new jobs, and sustaining growth. The Financial Intermediary is specialized in SME finance, has a wide network and thereby ensures high market reach for EIB financing.
The EIB involvement is expected to generate positive effects, mainly in terms of availability of long term loans to SMEs and/or overall financing costs, which will be particularly appreciated by SMEs beneficiaries. The additional lending capacity provided through the EIB's intervention will generate positive effects on investments from the availability of long term financing and of overall lower financing costs.
